


and after all, you're my wonderwall

by ambrosespellmanz



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Adults, F/M, Post-Canon, did someone ask for mcmantle as adults, i might end up deleting this but lets see how it goes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:22:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27050383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ambrosespellmanz/pseuds/ambrosespellmanz
Summary: “Yeah,” he places his hands on his hips as he catches his breath, squinting a bit, “so, how long are you in town for?”“Hopefully, a long time. I moved about two weeks ago.”
Relationships: Reggie Mantle/Josie McCoy
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

Alexander goes to rehab and Josie moves to LA anyway. New York is nice; Jorge and Katy and Pepper are nice but she doesn’t feel at home there. 

If she’s being honest with herself, she never did.

Alexandra helps. Gives her the number of a business associate who’s looking for a new client and the keys to a condo she owns there.

Part of Josie thinks she’s doing it to pay her back for coming to her about Alex. The other part believes she’s doing this just to get her out of the city. Either way, Josie accepts it with a smile.

Two days later, she learns from Jorge that Hiram Lodge moved back and was the person trying to buy the block and she’s even more relieved that she left.

There was no way she was going to let herself be sucked into the drama that seemed to surround that man. Not this time.

-

Reggie knows he should be more careful but he only took his eyes off Vader for one second  _ which _ apparently was enough time for his dog to take off running.

He still had no idea how he moved so fast with his little legs.

Reggie takes off after him, narrowly avoiding running into people as he struggles to keep sight of his dog.

He finally catches up with Vader three blocks later. Some girl with red hair has him, mumbling something he doesn’t catch as she picks him up.

Reggie’s surprised Vader isn’t snapping at her. He’s usually a lot more hostile when it comes to strangers.

“Hey!” He shouts before she walks off with Vader, “That’s my dog!”

The girl turns at the sound of his voice, a smile lighting up her face and Reggie slows down as he realizes who it is.

“I was just about to come looking for you.”

“Josie. What are you doing here?”

“Apparently, saving your dog from being kidnapped.”

Vader barks happily and Josie smiles down at him, scratching the spot behind his ear that he loved so much.

“He always did like you.”

“Yeah, well, who said cats and dogs have to be mortal enemies?”

“Yeah,” he places his hands on his hips as he catches his breath, squinting a bit, “so, how long are you in town for?”

“Hopefully, a long time. I moved about two weeks ago.” Josie sets Vader back on the ground, wiping her hands on her pants as she stands back up.

“Really?”

“Yeah. Look, I’m supposed to be meeting someone for lunch but we should catch up. Is your number still the same?”

“Yeah. Same number.”

“Great. I’ll, uh, call you later.”

“Okay.”

She squeezes his arm as she walks by and he watches her go, tempted to go after her and just talk for a little while longer. Six years was a long time to go without seeing someone.

Vader barks again and he glances down at his pet, a smile tugging at his lips as Vader’s tail wags back and forth excitedly.

“We’re going to get you a leash, buddy.”

-

They make plans to hang out at her place, Saturday. She was still getting settled in and hasn’t learned her way around the city yet.

Los Angeles is a far cry from Riverdale and New York.

She orders a pizza from Luggage Room pizzeria. According to Eater LA, it was one of the best. 

Josie’s trying to find something to watch on Netflix when her doorbell rings. 

She sets the remote down on a cushion then walks to her door, looking through the peephole before opening it. 

Reggie stands on the other side, holding a bouquet of white lilies. 

“These are for you. Figured you could use something to spruce the place up.”

“Thank you.”

She takes the flowers and places them on the table by the door, making a mental reminder to put it in a vase later.

“So, this is your place, huh?”

Josie nods. It was for now anyway. She had plans to move out and get her own condo eventually.

“It’s nice.”

Reggie sheds his jacket and hangs it on the couch before sitting down. He kicks his legs up and rests them on the marble table in front of them.

It reminds her of the days back in high school when Reggie would come over while her mom was working late at the office to keep her company. Now that she thinks about it, it was probably a way for him to escape the nightmare he was facing at home.

Josie grabs the remote before sitting down, tucking her knees underneath herself.

“What do you want to watch?”

He gives her a cheeky grin, “Surprise me.”

Josie rolls her eyes, “The Office it is.”

-

Reggie closes the pizza box as he takes the last slice. 

It was off season so he was a lot more lenient with his diet. 

“How’d your meeting go?”

She grimaces in response to the question. “A friend set me up with a new manager. I gave her a song and she’s gonna try and book me on a talk show.”

“That’s great.”

“I don’t know. I’m starting to think I chose the wrong career path.”

Reggie frowns. It was strange to hear that coming from the girl who constantly badgered their principal into letting them perform and had an entire stage decoration plus costumes for their school talent show.

If there was anyone that was born to sing and perform, it was her.

“New York was that bad, huh?”

“You have no idea.”

“Well, you’re in LA now. The City of Angels. And you have me.”


	2. Chapter 2

Josie rolls her eyes as Marcy turns down another outfit, gesturing for the girl to go find something else.

She thought the violet pants suit looked nice. She already thought of the  _ perfect _ hairstyle to go with it.

She almost reminds her of Katy and Josie is reminded of how much she missed her friend.

Marcy takes another hit from her vape, slowly blowing out the smoke. “I got you on a spot on Late Night with Katherine Newbury. She’s doing a new thing with upcoming artists and she owes me a few favors.”

“Okay. When?”

“Next week. You’ll do a five minute interview, perform your new song, and we start rebuilding your fan base.”

“You got it all figured out, huh?”

“It’s what Xandra is paying me for. I’m going to go find that personal shopper. Be right back.”

Josie takes out her phone and calls Reggie as Marcy walks away. 

“Bored?”

“Pfft. Never had this much fun in my life,” she retorts. “How’s your day going?”

“Ran six blocks, had a green smoothie and ham and mushroom omelet for breakfast.”

“Food for champions, huh?”

“That’s what I say to make myself feel better. That, uh, sounded funnier in my head.”

“I’ll pretend like I didn’t hear it. Where’s Vader?”

“Taking a nap. Such a tired boy.”

Josie bites back a laugh at his sappy tone. She always found it cute the way he cared for his dog.

“Well, I’m sure he could use his rest. What are you doing tonight?” 

“Going out with you,” he answers promptly. “What place do you have in mind?”

“Mm, I’ll let you pick. Just no Italian restaurants.”

“Alright. I’ll send you the location.”

“See you then.”

She hangs up just as Macy and the boutique employee return, the girl’s face was hidden under a bundle of clothes and Josie couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.

“Is this really necessary?”

“The faster you get dressed, the sooner she can take a break.”

Josie rolls her eyes, taking some outfits off the top and taking them to the dressing room with her.

-

Reggie dips his pretzel knot into the small container of cheese. He went back to training in a few weeks so he was trying to soak up not having to follow a strict diet as much as he could. 

“Save some for me, will you?”

Josie swats his hand away as he reaches for another. “Save some for me, will you?”

He shrugs, resting his arm on the back of the chair as he leans back. Gabe’s Bar and Grill was particularly loud today, a group of rowdy older man were shouting at the sports game on TV. But the food was good and no one paid much attention to him when he was here.

“So, what happened in Riverdale after I left? Or did my leaving restore the balance?”

He starts to tell her that  _ she’d know _ if she was there and it’s a completely bitter thought. Bitter at her for leaving, for not saying goodbye.

“Uh, no,” he clears his throat, “things were pretty much just as insane.”

“Tell me about it.”

“I don’t even know where to start.”

“Start at the beginning and don’t leave anything out.”

Reggie sighs before telling her everything, well,  _ almost _ everything. He leaves out a few details about his dad, not wanting to relive that memory.

Josie listens raptly as he divulges about the new principal, Hiram Lodge becoming mayor, the weird video tapes, and Jughead faking his death. 

She looks totally perplexed by the time he’s finished. 

“Wow. I’m glad I left when I did.”

“What about tour? That must’ve been fun, right?”

“Touring was–”

She’s cut off by the sound of her phone ringing. Josie shoots him an apologetic smile as she starts to leave her chair.

“I have to take this. Try not to eat all the pretzel knots while I’m gone.”

“No promises.”

-

Josie leans against Reggie for support as they walk down the sidewalk, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. Her phone call with Alexander didn’t last long on account of her one syllable replies.

When she got back to the table, she ordered a few shots. Something to help drown out the storm of emotions that Alex had stirred up.

It had been two weeks since he went away–one week since she left New York–and neither had attempted to contact the other. Not until today anyhow.

She was a little buzzed. 

“Touring wasn’t much fun. I spent more time watching my dad’s band than performing myself.”

She didn’t even know why he let her come if he wasn’t going to let her do anything. But, somehow, that was better than the hellscape that was Riverdale. 

She thought New York would be a nice change of pace but that turned out to be more setbacks and melodrama.

“Third time’s the charm, right?”

“Hopefully.”

He lifts the arm that’s not around her to flag down a taxi and she burrows herself further into his side.

The yellow vehicle stops in front of them and Josie reluctantly takes a step back as he opens the door. She climbs in first then him after.

Josie faces the window as he gives the driver directions to her place. The car gives a slight jolt before it’s moving again.

It’s quiet for the most part, Josie absorbed in her own thoughts. She wishes the night would’ve lasted a bit longer.

“I came to see you before I left. After Jughead’s parents tried to rob Pop Tate.”

She can see the surprise on his face. “You…what happened?”

“You were with Veronica. So, I turned around and went home.”

“What were you going to tell me?”

Josie shrugs, playing aloof, “Doesn’t really matter much now, does it?”

“Guess not.”


	3. Chapter 3

Josie hums the song softly under her breath as she goes over the lyrics, trying to see if they fit or not.

She was still signed to Cabot Records and Xandra had somehow talked her step dad into funding a full album. She even hooked her up with a studio in town. Josie just needed to write a new batch of songs and get some publicity.

She already had the first verse and chorus down, but she just needed to come up with two more verses and a bridge and she was currently working on the second verse. She had that talk show thing in two days.

_ I'm speechless and faded _

_ It's too complicated _

_ Is this how the book ends? _

_ Nothing but good friends? _

Her phone rings and normally she’d just ignore it but she could use the distraction.

“Hello.”

-

“Forty-nine. One more, Reg. Come on.”

He grunts, left arm strained as he pulls himself up until his chin is above the metal bar again.

“Fifty.”

“What’s new, Pussycat?”

Reggie gently lowers himself to the floor, glaring at Oliver. When he invited his brother to the gym, it was so they could work out together since Oliver had the day off  _ not  _ so his brother could stand by and watch him wear himself out.

“Yeah, no, he’s in the bathroom. This Mantle is completely available though.”

“Who’s that?”

Oliver ignores him, a grin coming onto his features at whatever the person on the other line was saying. 

Reggie makes a gimme motion with his hand. Oliver snorts, slapping his hand away before answering the phone.

“I’m actually DJing in a few days at a friend’s club. You should come, bring a friend.”

Reggie reaches for it again half-heartedly and Oliver sidesteps him easily.

“Awesome. See you then.”

Oliver starts making kissing noises into the phone and Reggie snatches his phone back, glancing down at the blank screen then back up at his brother. They must’ve hung up at the first ‘mwah.’

“Who was that?”

“Josie. You didn’t tell me she was in the city. How is she?”

Reggie ignores the question as he snatches his phone back. He was going to the gym alone next time.

-

Josie’s not nervous. It’s just that…well, most of her performances have been in front of people she knows. Those that weren’t were with Melody and Valerie.

This would be her first solo performance in front of complete strangers on television. 

“Deep breaths, Josie. Just take a deep breath and relax.”

She rests the phone against the mirror, adjusting it so her face was completely in view.

“I’m not ready for this, Cherry.”

“You’re having pre-performance jitters. It’s perfectly normal even at this stage in your career.”

“Don’t patronize me.”

Cheryl rolls her eyes and, yeah, Josie knows she’s being dramatic.

“What’s really going on with you?”

“Besides me being totally unprepared and potentially making a fool out of myself in front of everyone?  _ I’m perfect _ .”

Josie knows what the problem is and it begins with an  _ A. _

“Are you done?”

“...Yes. I am.”

“Great. You’re allowed to feel anxious  _ up to a point _ . If you believe there’s a chance that you’ll mess up, you will.”

Okay, this was not helping.

“Thanks, Cher. I’ll just–”

“I’ve seen you perform a million times before Josie. Trust me, there’s no way you,  _ of all people,  _ could have a bad performance.”

Josie heaves a long sigh, playing with the end of her braid. “Thank you, Cheryl.”

“I have to go. Call me later?”

“I’ll try.”

-

Reggie settles on the couch, popcorn bowl in his lap and Vader resting on top of his feet. Josie told him she’d be on and he was excited to see his friend on TV.

Oliver joins him, groaning as he stretches out his legs, “You like talk shows now?”

Reggie shushes him, watching as the commercial ends and Katherine Newbury’s smiling face fills his screen.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Josie McCoy.”

The camera moves past her, focusing on the stage many feet away from her. The stage lights up, basking Josie in a warm glow. 

Her red hair is pinned to the left side of her head, falling into her face. Her outfit consisted of a leopard mesh shirt with black sleeves and white pants.

It was nice to see some things never changed.

She closes her eyes, gripping the microphone in one hand as she begins to sing.

_ This is the place where I sit, _

_ This is the part where I love you too much. _

_ Is this as hard as it gets? _

_ 'Cause I'm getting tired of pretending I'm tough _

_ I'm here if you want me _

_ I'm yours, you can hold me _

_ I'm empty and achin' _

_ And tumblin' and breakin' _

Oliver reaches over, squeezing his shoulder, “Little McCoy’s all grown up, huh?”

Reggie rolls his eyes. He knows it’s been a little over four years since he last saw Josie but she was still the same to him. He’d always know her.

_ Cause you don't see me _

_ And you don't need me _

_ And you don't love me _

_ The way I wish you would _

_ The way I know you could _

“I’m gonna have a celebrity at the club,” Oliver exclaims as if suddenly realizing that. “You think she’ll care if I use her for free promo?”

“Yeah. Whatever,” Reggie replies absentmindedly. 

His attention span was fully taken up by the siren on TV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oliver face claim - Jake Choi  
> Marcy face claim - Dominique McElligott (just think Queen Maeve in the boys)


End file.
